St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-18
REVELATION OF ART.
History Vividly Depicted in the Scandi-
navian Collection Of Paintings.
THE STORY OF THE TYRANT
Wealth of Color and Glowing Imagery
in the Beautiful Group
Of Pictures.

One of the most farSeeing, as to the
monetary results, and at the same time
graceful acts of the Exposition manage
ment, is embodied in the Scandinavian
collection in the art gallery. Graceful,
as compliment to the large Scandina-
Wan population of the city, and farsee-
ing in its financial results, because it is
no stretch of good judgment to say
that there are hundreds of people who
would never enter the Exposition if it
were not for these pictures, that
awaken in many hearts tender recollec-
whether it be in the shape of a NOrwe-
gian ford, the interior of Swedish
peasant house or the arc adam scenery
of the Danish country side.
When Olaf Ellison was chosen last
spring to take the entire charge of this
departments and given carte blanche on
his interesting trip to the scenes where
these pictures were collected, the per-
feet fitness of the man for such an un-
dertaking was the first thing taken into
account. Well has he fulfilled the trust
placed in him, and the collection of
scandinavian art now on view, and
fully completed, is a grand speaking
monument to the zeal and energy dis
played in this notable artis-
tic gathering from the pri-
vate galleries of Norway, the
museums of Sweden and the artists
studios of Denmark. In the $50 exam
Piles presented there are two striking
historical pictures, Nos. $50 and 400,
which seem to attract instant attention
from everybody, but OF which the true
meaning does not seem to be under
stood in either case, especially as the
frr f1rr 1icb tnn fol
Ogue is very meager. These pictures
represent scenes from very romantic
and weird portion of Scandinavian his
tory and are closely related. That his
tory is as follows: Christian H., sur
named the Tyrant, came to the throne
of Norway and Denmark in 1914. He
was youth of fury and dissipated hab-
its, but scholar of great elegance. AL
though married to a princess of royal
blood, he had an unlawful mistress in
the form of Dyveka, a daughter of the
people, whose mother, Sigbrit, kept a
tavern in Bergen. These two women
king, but he was so fascinated that he
neglected mis- gentle wife to bask in the
smiles of his voluptious paramour. In
the year following his accession to the
throne, Dyveka died suddenly and it
was supposed was poisoned by TOrben
| OXena, noble. out of jealousy because
| she would not favor him and Torben
| was beheaded for the suspicion.
| Christian IL, few years after
this, went, invaded and conquered
Sweden and was crowned king in Stock
holm. He invited all the great mobiles
and councillors to the festivities, and
when they were assembled in the ban
| quoting hall fell upon them with the
| sword and masSacred them all, young
and old. This awful event is commem-
| GRATED in Swedish history as the day of
the 'bloody BATH" Among those so
massacred was Eric Vasa, father of the
great GuStavuS VaSa, who thereupon
fled to the mountains of Dalecarlia dis
| guised as a peasant; made himself and
his rank gradually known to the hardy
natives: raised great army and drove
the tyrant Christian out of Sweden, and
| surnamed the Saviors and Deliverer of
his people. This is the historical
groundwork from which Nos. $50 and
1859 have been painted. The first repre-
SCENTS Gustavus Vasa breaking the wine
casks in cellar where his men have
been drinking and celebrating one of
their great leaders victories. His mag
nficent form is full of wrath and scorn,
and the interior of the cellar, the figures
of the cowed men, especially the one
reaching for his hat to fly from the
leaders, notice, ase natural and striking
looking, and bear out what an historian
has said of this famous man-that
his great success lay in the firm
but generous nature of all his dealings
with his soldiers and the improved mil
itary tactics he introduced into his
army. And there, right across the gal
lery from his stern face and sterner
| rugged form, in picture 400, lies Chris
tian l., the tyrant-the slayer of his
father-stretched upon the side of the
bed in his kingly robes; Of the lifeless
beautiful Dyveka, the idol of his life
dead in her beautiful youth-all sinful
though it might have been. Gustavus
Vasa looks the Nemesis of the scene to
those who can fully appreciate all the
terror of this scrap of historical lore.
This collection is rich in every respect:
rich in maritime subjects; rich in land
scapes where field and forest and mere
and stream are repreSented; and there
is looseneSs and wealth of coloring,
looSeneSS and delicacy of execution,
wealth of laying on tints and streaks,
depicting shadow and reflection that is
truly wonderful. For instance, auy man
who has been to Sea-nOt cOasting on a
pleasure trip, but on the broad open
water, where the rollers really roll, and
| the full effects of color that are seen
| blending in wonderful manner in the
| water only at ma distance from land
will fullyappreciatet the power expressed
in the very large canvas No, 424. The
deep blue, offset by the whitecaps and